Fired Southwest flight attendant wins $5.1 million verdict

DALLAS (AP) — A former Southwest Airlines flight attendant has won a $5.1 million verdict against the airline and the union for its flight attendants. Charlene Carter alleged that Southwest unlawfully fired her in 2017 at the union’s urging over anti-abortion messages she sent to the union president. A jury in federal district court in Dallas issued the verdict Thursday. Carter was unhappy over what she considered the union’s support for flight attendants who attended a protest march against President Donald Trump in Washington. Southwest believed her posts, in which she could be identified as a company employee, were offensive, and the private messages to the union president amounted to harassment.